Police crackdown on speeding motorists between Cleadon and Boldon Colliery

Chris Maxwell

POLICE have launched a crackdown on speeding drivers they say are putting lives at risk in South Tyneside.

Officers are targeting a number of hot spots for dangerous driving in response to concerns being voiced by residents.

Neighbourhood police are clamping down on speeding motorists in the Tilesheds area of Cleadon.

Last weekend, officers with speed cameras identified 11 motorists going too fast on the road from Cleadon to Boldon Colliery.

The drivers caught speeding were issued with warnings and told that they could face further action if they are caught driving dangerously in the future.

The crackdown comes after residents complained to the police that drivers were putting other road users, such as cyclists and horse-riders, at risk by going too fast.

Inspector John Smith said: “Speeding will not be tolerated by police, and the issue will remain one of the top priorities for the Boldon neighbourhood policing team.

“We’ve already carried out some activity, and there is more planned.

“We want to reassure local residents that we will not tolerate speeding and dangerous driving, and this action should act as a warning to the minority, who think it’s acceptable to break the speed limit and put people’s lives at risk, that they face being punished.”

Police will continue their operation over the coming weeks.

Those who don’t ease their foot off the gas will be in the sights of officers on a number of roads designated as speeding trouble-spots in Boldon and Cleadon.

Officers will also be training their eyes on hot spots such as the A1018 Sunderland Road, Newcastle Road in East Boldon and Whitburn Road in Cleadon.

Members of the South Tyneside Community Speedwatch group will also participate in the scheme once its last volunteer is trained at the end of this month.

The action forms part of Operation Dragoon, a force-wide initiative aimed at tackling dangerous and careless drivers across the Northumbria Police patch.